The feeling of scoring Leicester City ’s 1996 play-off final winner remains unparalleled for Steve Claridge nearly a quarter of a century on. Claridge’s 120th-minute goal on this day 24 years ago ensured Leicester made an immediate return to the Premier League, having been relegated a year earlier along with Crystal Palace, who they beat 2-1 at Wembley.
Steve Claridge said ” he high is not equal to anything, I knew if we equalised in that game we’d win it,It wouldn’t have mattered if we were 2-0 down, we’d have won 3-2. It was a team that just kept going. I was still making my way forward, As the ball goes over my head I’m thinking where’s it gonna drop. The crowd is just really stunned in disbelief, I don’t know if that was because I’d hit it, It was so far out, and everybody was used to me scoring goals inside the six-yard box. To finish off after the lows I went through, the absolute lows where you’re thinking, ‘my career is over I can’t see a way out of this,’ to doing that and taking you to the ultimate high – winning that game of football. It’s unparalleled to and a half hours later all you can hear is ‘super Stevie Claridge’ echoing around Wembley when you’re coming out – it’s unbelievable.”
